Coal bed methane (CBM) is natural gas trapped within coal by the pressure exerted by groundwater. Conservative estimates suggest that more than 700 trillion cubic feet of coal bed methane is available within the United States. The Powder River Basin (PBR), located in northeast Wyoming and southeast Montana, is thought to contain between 25 and 30 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas. Recent studies have shown the presence of ongoing secondary biogenic coal bed methane production within the Powder River Basin and across the country. Coal is a relatively insoluble, complex solid polymer. Nevertheless, it is believed that coal is the primary source of substrate(s) utilized by the anaerobic bacteria responsible for secondary biogenic methane production.